Lev: Love him or hate him, there's no one like Bill Walton

NBA and UCLA legend Bill Walton talked last month to the Sports Business Media class at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Walton has been considered a polarizing figure among TV analysts. ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER

ML'S MEDIA MUSINGS

• I'm not a soccer aficionado, but I thought Gus Johnson showed a ton of potential in his debut for Fox Soccer on Wednesday. That also seemed to be the consensus among other media critics. Johnson already seems to have a great feel for when to crank up the decibel level, picking his spots expertly. He made few missteps in one of the most scrutinized broadcasts in recent memory.

• Kudos to ESPN analyst Dan Dakich for grilling Bo Ryan about his end-game strategy after the Wisconsin-Michigan game Saturday. Far too often, analysts go easy on coaches in one-on-one interviews. Kudos to Ryan, too, for standing his ground. It made for a lively debate and good TV.

• Normally, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (Friday, 4 p.m., ESPN) wouldn't make my DVR's to-do list. But I'm absolutely fascinated to see what Usain Bolt can do on a basketball court. If he can dribble at all, wouldn't the world's fastest man be able to just fly past everyone to the rim?

MICHAEL LEV/The Register

Bill Walton is not for everyone.

The one-of-a-kind basketball broadcaster is prone to hyperbole. He goes off on tangents that have nothing to do with, well, basketball. He speaks his mind in a way that some find refreshing, others revolting. He is an acquired taste.

Walton is, in a sense, the Howard Stern of basketball analysts. It was once said of Stern that the people who hated him listened to him longer than his fans. Both groups offered the same rationale: "I want to see what he'll say next."

"He's very polarizing," Dave Pasch, Walton's partner on ESPN, said by phone this week. "Some people tune in and want to hear straight color commentary on basketball. Some like the mix. It just depends.

"I've worked with analysts who just break down the game. Some lean toward storytelling. I've never worked with somebody quite like Bill."

Pasch has been Walton's primary partner during this comeback campaign for the Big Redhead. Walton couldn't work for several years because of back pain so excruciating he wanted to kill himself. After a life-changing surgery healed his back, he returned this season as a Pac-12 analyst for ESPN and Pac-12 Networks.

Walton has done several UCLA games and will be on the call with Pasch for Saturday's visit to Stanford (1 p.m. PT, ESPN2) after the pair worked the UCLA-Cal game Thursday. As you probably know, Walton basically called for Bruins coach Ben Howland to be fired last week, blaming his coaching style for UCLA's disappointing attendance at Pauley Pavilion. Walton concluded his anti-Howland rant by saying the fans who were there looked as if they were "getting ready to go to the dentist."

To his credit, Pasch engaged Walton and insisted that he explain his position, which he did. Working with Walton forces Pasch to keep his antennae up at all times.

As mentioned at the top, not everyone likes what they're hearing. One Register reader and college basketball fan told me she has muted games Walton was working. He is not universally respected by his peers, some of whom believe he gets away with being unprofessional simply because he's Bill Walton.

I generally gravitate toward the overprepared analysts who teach me something I didn't know, such as Cris Collinsworth. That isn't Walton's M.O., but he doesn't fit into any sort of mold, and that's what I appreciate about him. He stands out in a crowd, and not just because he's 6-foot-11.

"There are so many college basketball games on TV," Pasch said. "You can turn on ESPN and watch six or seven games in a night. There are a lot of great analysts who may just focus on the game. And then there's Bill."

RAPTORS > LAKERS?

TNT will provide the bulk of the coverage of this weekend's NBA All-Star festivities, including All-Star Saturday Night (starting at 5:30 p.m.) and the game itself (5 p.m. Sunday). No matter what transpires, you can be sure the Lakers will be a frequent topic of conversation. (Remember TNT's slogan: "We Know Drama.")

TNT's analysts got the ball rolling during a recent conference call. Kenny Smith did not hold back when asked about the Lakers' chances of making the playoffs.

"Zero chance," he said. "Houston is a team that is going to be over .500. I don't think the Lakers are going to be over .500 by four games to make the playoffs. ... I believe in the Toronto Raptors more than I believe in the Lakers."

REMOTE PATROL

Season four of ESPN's superb "Gruden's QB Camp" premieres April 4. USC's Matt Barkley (Mater Dei High) is among the scheduled participants. ... For the first time, fans can watch NBA All-Star Media Day via a live stream on NBA.com. You can also submit questions via Twitter at #AmexAllStar. The live stream starts at 10:30 a.m. Friday. ... The Kings-Blackhawks game at 12:30 p.m. is the centerpiece of NBC's "Hockey Day in America" on Sunday. NBC and NBC Sports Network will broadcast three NHL games over nine hours, starting at 9 a.m. Additionally, Michelle Beadle and Jeremy Roenick will explore the origins of "hockey hair" (which I used to have, in another lifetime). ... The latest episode of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," premiering at 10 p.m. ET/PT Tuesday, revisits Gareth Thomas, the former Welsh national-team rugby player who came out in 2009. "Real Sports" also will profile rising UFC star Ronda Rousey....

The Dodgers will make eight appearances and the Angels seven on Fox's Saturday Game of the Week. The schedule, released this week, includes open dates for the final two Saturdays of the regular season. The Angels' first game on Fox will be April 6 at Texas. ... The UCLA-Stanford women's basketball game (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPNU) is part of ESPN's "Play 4Kay" initiative, which raises awareness and funding for breast-cancer research. The event, named for former North Carolina State coach Kay Yow, features 12 women's basketball games Sunday and Monday. ... Former Duke player Alaa Abdelnaby (remember him?) will sit down with current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for a half-hour, one-on-one interview airing at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on CBS Sports Network.

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